The GSM Association (GSMA), established in 1995 by the mobile communications industry and related companies, recently released its latest 2023 mobile Internet connection report, revealing that 55% of the world’s total population, about 4.3 billion people, own smartphones. The report also mentioned that the number of mobile Internet users is 4.6 billion, of which 4 billion access the Internet through smart phones.
Serious regional differences
The GSMA report also reveals regional differences and the popularity of mobile Internet. 69% of smartphone users in North America, East Asia and Asia-Pacific use 4G devices, but most users in sub-Saharan Africa still rely on 3G connections, while the Middle East In China and North Africa, one-third of mobile Internet users are using 3G networks. What is more surprising is that 3.4 billion people around the world still do not have mobile Internet access. The GSMA report shows that 38% of the world’s residents have mobile broadband coverage but do not use it. Among them, 59% in sub-Saharan Africa and 59% in South Asia respectively. % and 52% of the population do not have access to the Internet.
600 million people use feature phones to access the Internet
The report also mentioned an interesting phenomenon. About 8% of the global population, equivalent to 600 million people, are currently connected to the Internet through traditional feature phones. The GSMA believes that factors hindering the expansion of mobile Internet include digital skills, education, security issues and the availability of user-related content, all of which prevent smartphone users from fully utilizing their devices to access the Internet.
Disadvantaged groups are more affected
Mats Granryd, Director General of the GSMA, said that lack of access to the Internet deprives billions of people of access to vital services and opportunities to generate income. The impact is particularly severe on poorer, less educated, rural and female users. These vulnerable groups will be further affected by the rising cost of living crisis and climate-related emergencies, and the GSMA calls for accelerating digital inclusion and breaking down barriers to stop the digital divide from widening further.
source:gsmarena
